Be still, my heart

Chapter 2: The Client

Sky had just finished her sandwich and was sipping the last remnants of her coffee when her phone vibrated.

Lukas: Will be about 15 mins late, stuck in traffic.

Sky stared at the message.

No apology to offer, I see.

She shifted in her seat, unable to keep still, and opened her laptop again. She went over her designs, double-checking everything.

It’s fine. It should be fine. Yeah, it’s fine, she repeated in her head as her leg bounced under the table.

She wiped her damp palms on her lap and glanced at her chipped nail polish.

Not exactly the hands of a polished professional.

Still uneasy, she looked out the large window. A group of kids played in the alley nearby, huddled around a small box.

When the boy opened it and revealed the toy inside, they all burst into cheers.

Sky smiled faintly.

For a moment, the tightness in her chest eased.

Then—

A tall figure passed by the window.

Sky froze.

She looked again, her brows knitting together.

No… it can’t be.

Her heart skipped.

I must be imagining things.

Before she could think further, a man suddenly stopped at her table.

“I know I’m late, but I’m really thirsty. Mind if I order first?” he said.

Sky looked up—and blinked.

He was handsome. Tall, dressed sharply in a suit.

But something about the way his eyes lingered made her uneasy.

“U-uh, hi. Yeah, sure,” she said.

“Thanks,” he replied, flashing a smile.

It was charming—but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

He walked to the counter and placed his order. When he returned, he set his tray down and took his seat across from her—slowly, deliberately.

“I’m Lukas,” he said, his gaze briefly dropping before returning to her face. “Pleasure.”

Sky forced a polite smile and shook his hand. His grip was firm.

Too firm.

“And you’re Sky,” he added, even though she hadn’t introduced herself yet.

She nodded slightly. “Yes.”

“So,” Lukas said, leaning back in his chair, his eyes still on her, “you have the designs ready?”

Sky swallowed and gestured to her iPad. “Yes. Would you like to start now, or wait for your order?”

Lukas tilted his head slightly, studying her.

“And we’ll talk about what, exactly?” he asked, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

Sky flushed.

This is going badly.

“Sorry—here,” she said quickly, turning the screen toward him. “Let me walk you through it.”

She began explaining her concept, doing her best to stay professional despite the way his gaze kept drifting—not quite inappropriate, but enough to make her conscious of every movement.

Lukas listened, occasionally nodding, occasionally humming in acknowledgment.

When she finished, she looked at him expectantly.

Lukas didn’t respond right away. His eyes lingered on the screen—then briefly on her again.

“I have to say…” he finally said.

“I really enjoyed your presentation.”

Sky blinked in surprise.

“Everything is well put together,” he continued slowly. “And your idea of building the site in stages… it’s smart.”

He leaned forward slightly.

“Very smart.”

Something in his tone made Sky’s chest tighten.

Sky had no time to respond as the beeper suddenly rang, announcing that Lukas’ order was ready.

“I’ll be right back,” he said silkily. He stood up, smiled at her, and winked.

For some reason, the gesture made Sky shudder internally, though she couldn’t explain why.

Sky watched him walk toward the counter, feeling oddly unsettled.

Lukas was not what she expected.

When he returned with a tray of pasta and coffee, Sky shifted slightly in her seat, unsure of what to do next.

He set the tray down slowly, then looked at her with a small smile.

“So,” he drawled, “shall we talk about us?”

Sky stared at him. “Excuse me?”

He chuckled lightly. “Schedules, my dear. Meetings, what to do next, our timeline.”

“Oh.” Sky blinked quickly. “O-of course.”

I got the job?

Lukas picked up his coffee and took a slow sip, his eyes lingering on her over the rim of the cup.

“Okay,” he said, setting the cup down. “Let’s talk about the stages… and payment.”

There was something about the way he said the word payment that made Sky feel strangely uncomfortable, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.

She straightened slightly and opened her iPad again, forcing herself to focus.

This was just work.

Just work.

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